Has Myers-Briggs been my crutch all these years? Like a gazillion other people (something like two million every year) I have taken MBTI. They told me, "You're an ISTJ." I said, "Okay."

I haven't thought much about the S, T, or J. I've thought a lot about the "I". That's where I landed on the Introversion-Extroversion scale. In fact, I think they had to extend the introversion scale out another inch so they would have a place to put the x. So I've walked around with this big "I" on my forehead for the past 20 years or so. Maybe you've seen it there. It never bothered me. I just saw it as a description of my pesonality, and I figured it was pretty accurate. After all, I'm not the noisey one in the room, I have to process all my words in my head before they come out my mouth, and I enjoy solitude (at least some of the time). That's all typical "I" stuff.

The problem, of course, is that I can sometimes hide behind the "I". "You can't expect me to do that, there will be a bunch of people there." "I prefer to work alone." Or even worse, "I don't need other people, because I'm an "I"."

But the other day the SIMA people said, "Your motivation is oriented toward group involvements. You want to be part of a team or group, to participate in its activities, and to contribute in some way to its success. You enjoy being involved in efforts in which people work together for a common purpose."

You know what? They're right. As I look back, it's a pattern I can see running through my life. I've been most effective and most fulfilled when I've been part of a team working together toward a clear goal. I could list a dozen examples.

I love knowing this about myself. I can't change the way God put my personality together, and I don't really want to. But no more hiding behind the "I".

The Fleece Incident

I've been working through a career transition process with a company called People Management (or SIMA International). Right now, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for them to complete my profile. I'm looking forward to finding out what they will say about my motivations and strengths. The profile will be based on all the pages I wrote about significant events and achievements in my life from childhood up to the present, and on a seventy-minute interview this past Monday. The coach described their process as "high touch, not high tech."

Sometimes I think this career stuff would be easier if an angel of the Lord approached me while I was threshing grain in a winepress. He would say, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior," or something like that. And then he would tell me what to do, and I'd go do it. Well I hope I would.

Gideon wasn't too quick about going to do it. I've known about Gideon since I was little because they told me about him when I was in Sunday School. Since then I've preached about him once or twice. It's easy to preach about him because it's such a great Bible story. But I heard something brand new about Gideon the other day. Pastor Rick McKinniss from Wellspring Church talked about Gideon.

I've always thought of Gideon's tests -- the fleece incident -- as evidence of weak faith and reluctance to act. But Rick said when God gives a big assignment (and Gideon's assignment was pretty big) it is right to ask for strong confirmation.

I'm going to do that as this journey goes along. This is all in God's sovereign hands, of course. He'll assign, direct and confirm in exactly the right way. But I'm going to humbly ask him to make the path overwhelmingly clear. I'd like strong confirmation, please. I know I'll need faith, but God seemed pleased to give Gideon the confirmation he needed and I'm praying for that, too.